Imagine a little cabin in the woods, loads of animal books on the shelf, each packed with pictures, information, or stories. Each Blog post is a little book for you to read and enjoy. So pull one off the shelf today and read about Exotic Pets, and Unusual, or Rare, Animals!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Peruvian Pasos, Exotic Horses

For as long as I can remember I have
been a horse crazy girl. Neither of my parents were horse people so
it was rather hard to convince them to buy me a horse, however I did
manage to convince them to get me riding lessons. The riding lessons
were your typical English riding lessons, done in groups on lesson
horses.

One year the stable, which was in
Edmonton, hosted a showcase of different horse breeds. One of the
breeds that attended were Peruvian Pasos. While horses are not
really “exotic pets” the Peruvian Paso certainly qualifies as an
exotic type of horse.

The Peruvian Paso not only looks exotic
but has two very unique gaits for which it was bred. These gaits are
the Paso Llano and the Sobreando. Both are four beat lateral gaits,
left hind, left front, right hind, right front. The Sobreando is
slightly faster with a pause between the second and third step.

At the showcase of the breeds there
were a few Peruvians, the one I remember best (this was almost 30
years ago) was a Palomino named Gato del Sol, cat of the sun. I
remember him because I actually got to ride him. As part of the
breed showcase people were allowed to ride some of the horses. I
rode him (this being only for a few minutes) but wow I can honestly
say he was smooth like silk. He also had a beautiful thick mane and
tail; characteristics of the breed. They do not even cut a bridal
path.

photo source - The gaits of the Peruvian Paso are natural and foals perform them from a young age, it almost looks like a trot here, but is not.

All in all these are very showy,
beautiful, horses which, I think, qualifies them as exotic!

Peruvian Pasos are fairly rare, with
less than 30,000 worldwide. Peruvian Paso horses originated in Peru but there are
several breeders in the States and Canada (at least two breeders
right here in Alberta). Some breeders have been criticized for
trying to change the breed. Horses should stand between 14.1 and
15.2 hands but some people want to make them taller, others try to
make them faster and have altered the gait too much in the opinion of
other purist breeders. If you are looking for a Peruvian Paso try to
familiarize yourself with the breed and only buy from a breeder who
is sticking with correct breed standard.

To see more pictures and learn more about the Peruvian Paso, Read Here.

If you are a kid and want to try to convince your parents to buy you a horse (good luck) you can Read Here.

While there are benefits to having your mare bred, there are negatives as well, and one thing for certain is importance of general horse health. Most mares will not have any trouble having a successful gestation and delivery but sometimes problems arise. When thinking about breeding your mare, you need to make certain that you have the time for the hard work it requires and that you have special facilities, such as a separate area in order to wean the foal. Breeding purebreds can have a financial benefit where cross breeding doesn't offer much financially, although it has been known to produce nice foals. With stallions, you don't have to worry after the deed is done, but there are incidents that could happen during the breeding that could cause damage, such as the mare kicking.

About Me

Pet Enthusiast, animal lover. Environmentally concerned, activist. Currently living on a hobby farm where I keep sheep, as pets. Trying to eat less meat in general and encouraging others to be good pet owners.

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Just a Reminder from The Cabin

When considering getting a new pet, always check your local Animal Shelter, or Pet Rescue Center, first. Not only are you saving a life, but you are typically getting a better priced pet, and are not contributing to the cruel mass breeding of pets (as when you purchase from a store).